Mayor Norm Childress called the study session to order at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Present were: Mayor Norm Childress and Councilmembers Helen Darr, Bill Flory, Pam Horner, Jan McDonald, Robert Morales, Javier Rodriguez and Joan Souders.

Staff present were: City Administrator Scott D. Staples, City Attorney Jack Maxwell and City Clerk Anita Palacios.

2. MEETING WITH PORT DISTRICT

Present on behalf of the Port District were Commissioners Colleen Byam, Dr. Ron Grow and Mike Bren.

The Port District provided a powerpoint presentation. Commissioner Byam explained that the Port of Grandview was formed in 1988 by a two-thirds majority vote. The three port commissioners represent an equal amount of constitutes. The Port is a taxing district and levies an assessment of $0.45 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The Port belongs to the Washington Public Ports Association. Until recently, the Port of Grandview was the youngest port district in the State of Washington. She explained that the Ports mission is to protect the job creating potential of the local value added food processing industry and to encourage new job creating industries to locate in the Port District. The Port District has approximately 100 acres of vacant Port land within City limits, prepared, zoned and available for immediate industrial development with reasonable utility rates, ready and available work force, highly reliable infrastructure with water and sewer systems guaranteeing excess capacity, and convenient freeway access to competitively priced and fully served industrial and commercial site.

Commissioner Byam provided copies of the current conceptual drawings for the Wallace Way and Stover Road development sites. The City approved a binding site plan that provides lot line adjustments by administrative action by the City.

The Port acquired the Wallace Development Site in 1999 and developed a master plan for the site. The available property consists of 28 acres with lots ranging in size from 0.9-5.4 acres which can be adjusted or combined to meet development needs. Business and industrial activities currently at the site include Irrigation Specialists, Snokist Growers, Columbia River Steel & Construction, Valley Spray, Dionbilt and Prosser Memorial Hospital Ambulance.

The Port purchased the 50-acre Stover Development Site in 1998. Conceptual lots range in size from 1.0-11.2 acres which can also be adjusted or combined to meet development needs. She advised that the Port recently sold four lots on the interior of the roadway and Platt Electric was currently constructing a new facility at this site.

Mayor Childress questioned the need for the Port to implement landscaping requirements for their industrial property to ensure that the area was aesthetically pleasing due to its close proximity to Country Park.

The Commissioners indicated that the Port could encourage landscaping, but at this point, did not want to mandate landscaping requirements which might discourage prospective purchasers and development.

Mayor Childress questioned the economic development role between the Port and City and questioned why the City and Port both pay an assessment to the Yakima County Development Association (YCDA) for economic development promotion of Grandview.

Commissioner Byam believed that the YCDA assessment was probably a "drop in the bucket" compared to the services received. The Port does not have a budget to hire personnel to conduct economic development promotion on behalf of the Port. The Commissioners are responsible for showing the property to prospective purchasers. She added that in the past, the Port and City have participated in the Washington CEO insert.

With respect to the YCDA assessment, Commissioner Bren stated that the City and Port have different interests involved and its important to ensure that when YCDA has a prospect, they think about the City or Port. Commissioner Byam currently serves on the YCDA Board, along with Grandview residents Gary Christensen and Jim Sewell.

The City and Port agreed to cooperatively continue to promote Grandview for economic development purposes.

3. ADJOURNMENT